Asalam alaykum warahmatullah wabarakatuhu! TODAYS ANSWER(54): The companion who said,I will say what I think and if it is correct, then it is from Allah and if it is wrong, then it is from me and from shaytan and Allah and His messenger have nothing to do with it was Abdullah Ibn Masud ABDULLAAH IBN MASUD RadhiAllaahu Anhu -The First Reciter of Quran Abdullah ibn Masud(R A) was one of the first converts to Islam after Muhammad (SAW) started preaching in Mecca. He remained one of the closest companions of Muhammad (SAW) during his lifetime. According to Muslim sources, he was a young shepherd who worked for Uqbah ibn Abu Muayt. It was not long before Abdullah (R A) became a Muslim and offered to be in the service of Muhammad(SAW). Muhammad(SAW) agreed and Abdullah (R A) gave up tending sheep in exchange for dedicating himself to Islam. Abdullah (R A) held administrative and diplomatic duties under the caliphs Umar (R A) and Uthman(R A) . Some of his well-known disciples in Kufa included Alqama ibn Qays al-Nakhai, Aswad ibn Yazid and Masruq ibn al-Ajda. Abdullah (R A) is especially important for his commentaries and traditions on the interpretation of the Quran, having been present for many revelations. IN DETAIL : Before the Prophet (SAW) entered Daar Al-Arqam, Ibn Masuud had declared his belief in him. He was the sixth one to embrace Islam and follow the Prophet (SAW). Thus he was one of the early Muslims. He narrated his first meeting with the Prophet (SAW): I was a young shepherd boy responsible for the sheep of Uqbah Ibn Abu Muait. The Prophet (SAW) once came with Abu Bakr and said, 0 boy, do you have milk for us to drink? and I said, I cant let you drink their milk. The Prophet (SAW) said, Do you have a virgin sheep that has never mated with a male? I said, Yes and brought it to them. The Prophet (SAW) caught it and stroked its udder and prayed to Allaah till the udder filled. Abu Bakr brought him a concave rock into which he milked the sheep. Abu Bakr drank the milk, and then after that the Prophet said to the udder, Shrink, and it did. I went to the Prophet after this incident and said to him, Teach me this kind of talk. The Prophet (SAW) said, You are already a learned boy. AbdAllaah Ibn Masuud (R A) was fascinated to see the pious Servant and Messenger of Allaah supplicate Allaah and stroke a virgin udder till it gave milk, pure and agreeable to those who drank it. Ibn Masuud (R A) did not realize that what he had seen was but the least wonderful miracle and that soon he would see at the hands of that honorable Prophet other miracles that would shake the world and fill it with light and faith. He did not realize either that he Himself, the poor, weak, hired shepherd boy working for Uqbah Ibn Abu Muait, would be one of those miracles when he became, through his Islam, a strong believer capable of defeating the pride of the Quraish and overcoming the oppression of its martyrs. Before his Islam he never dared to pass by a session attended by any Quraish nobleman except with hastened steps and a bowed head, but after Islam he was capable of going to the Kabab, where the elite Quraish congregated and standing among them reading the Quraan in a loud, beautiful, impressive voice: < In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful, The Most Beneficent! Has taught the Quraan. He created man. He taught him eloquent speech. The sun and the moon run on their fixed courses (exactly) calculated with measured out stages for each. And the herbs (or stars ) and the trees both prostrate > (55: 1-6). He went on reciting while the Quraish were thunderstruck, not believing their own eyes or ears. They could not imagine that the one challenging their pride was just one of their hired shepherd boys who was the poor unknown Abd Allaah Ibn Masuud. Let us hear an eye witness, Az-Zubair (R A), describe the exciting scene: Abd Allaah Ibn Masuud was the first one to recite Quraan publicly in Makkah after the Prophet (SAW). It happened one day that the Prophets Companions were gathered with the Prophet (SAW). They said, By Allah, the Quraish have never heard the Quraan being recited to them before. Isnt there any man to recite it so that they may hear it? Thereupon Abd Allaah Ibn Masuud said, I. They said, We are afraid they may harm you. We want a man with a strong family to protect him from those people if they want to harm him. He said, Let me go, Allaah will protect me. Ibn Masuud went to the Maqaam at the Kabah and recited < In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful, The Most Beneficent! Has taught the Quraan... > and he went on reciting. The Quraish gazed at him and said, What does Ibn Umm Abd say? He is reciting some of what Muhammad came with. They went to him and began to beat him in the face while he was reciting till he finished whatever Allaah wished him to recite from the surah. He returned to his friends with a wounded face and body, and they told him, This is what we were afraid would happen to you. He answered them, Those enemies of Allaah have never been more worthless to me than this moment, and if you wish I will go back to them and do the same tomorrow. They said, No, it is enough for you. You have made them hear what they hated. Indeed, when Ibn Masuud(R A) was fascinated by the sheeps udder which was filled with milk before its time, he did not realize that he and his humble friends would be one of the greater miracles of the Prophet (SAW) on the day they carried the banner of Allaah, with which they outshone the sun. He did not realize that such a day was very near. Soon that day came, and the poor, hired boy became a miracle! He was hardly seen in the crowd of life and not even seen away from that crowd because he was too humble when compared with those who possessed wealth, power, and social status. Financially, he was poor. Physically, he was feeble, and socially, he was a nobody. But Islam compensated him for his poverty with a large share of the treasures of Khosrau and Caesar. Islam also compensated him for his physical weakness with a strong will that conquered the oppressors and-helped to change the whole historical course of events. Again, Islam compensated his humble social status through immortality, knowledge, and honour that gave him an eminent place among the most prominent of historical figures. The Prophets (SAW) prophecy about him which said, You are a learned boy was true. Indeed, Allaah endowed him with knowledge till he became the most learned of this Ummah and the best one to know Quraan by heart. Ibn Masuud described himself saying, I in fact took from the mouth of Allaahs Messenger more than seventy surahs of the Quraan. I have a better understanding of the Book of Allaah than any one of you. It could be that Allaah wanted to reward him for risking his life when he used to recite Quraan everywhere during the years of torture. So, He the Almighty endowed him with a wonderful talent for reciting and understanding Quraan to the extent that made the Prophet (SAW) direct his Companions to follow his example. The Prophet (SAW) said, Stick to the method of Ibn Umm Abd. He recommended that they mutate his way of reciting and learn it from him. The Prophet (SAW) said, Whoever wants to hear Quraan as fresh as it was revealed, let him hear it from Ibn Umm Abd, and said, Whoever wants to read Quraan as fresh as it was revealed, let him read it in the way Ibn Umm Abd does. It was a pleasure for the Prophet (SAW) to hear Quraan being recited from the mouth of Ibn Masuud. The Prophet (SAW) once called on him and said, Recite to me, Abd Allaah, and Abd Allaah said, How can I recite to you when it was revealed to you? The Prophet (SAW) said, I like to hear it from others. Thereupon Ibn Masuud started reading part of Surat An-Nisaa till he reached the verse: < How (will it be) then, when We bring from each nation a witness and We bring you as a witness against those people. On o that day those who disbelieved and disobeyed the Messenger will wish that they were buried in the earth, but they will never be able to hide a single fact from Allaah > (4: 41-42). Upon hearing this, the Prophets (SAW) eyes flooded with tears and he waved to Ibn Masuud saying, Enough, enough, Ibn Masuud. Ibn Masuud (R A) himself talked proudly about Allaahs bounty upon him. By Allaah, there is no surah in the Book of Allaah about which I do not know where and in what context it was revealed. I have a better understanding of the Book of Allaah than you do, and if I were to know that someone had a better understanding than I and I could reach him on the back of a mule, I would definitely go to him on a camels back, but I am not better than you are. The Prophets (SAW) Companions witnessed this for him. The Commander of the Faithful Umar Ibn Al-Kattaab (R A) said about him, He was filled with knowledge. Also Abu Muusaa Al- AsrTariy (R A) said about him, Dont ask me about any matter as long as you have this scholar among you. He was not only praised for his knowledge of Quraan and jurisprudence, but also for his piety and God-consciousness. Hudhaifah (R A) said about him, I have never seen anyone more like the Prophet (SAW) in his way of life and characteristics than Ibn Masuud. He also said, The lucky Companions of the Prophet (SAW) realized that Ibn Umm Abd is the nearest one of them to Allaah. One day a number of Companions were gathered at the house of Aliy Ibn Abi Taalib (R A) and said to him, 0 Commander of the Faithful, we have never seen a man who is more virtuous, more learned, more companionable, friendly, and God-fearing than Abd Allaah Ibn Masuud. Ali(R A) said, I beg you by Allaah, is this true from your hearts? They said, Yes. Ali(R A) said, 0 Allaah, I testify in front of You that I say about him like what they said and more. He read the Quraan and did what is lawful in it and avoided what is forbidden. He was knowledgeable in religion and scholarly in Sunnah. The Prophets (SAW) Companions said about him, He was admitted to the company of the Prophet (SAW), whereas we were detained, and he was present in his company, whereas we were absent. This means he used to have more privileges than the others. He used to enter the Prophets house and sit with him more than anybody else. He was the one the Prophet (SAW) entrusted with his secrets to the extent that he was entitled The Secretary. Abu Muusaa Al-Aslariy (R A) said in this context, I came to Allaahs Messenger (SAW) and thought that Ibn Masuud was among the members of his family. This means that the Prophet (SAW) loved him dearly for his piety and intelligence. He said about him, If I were to appoint a commander without consulting the Muslims, I would have appointed Ibn Umm Abd, and as mentioned before, the Prophet (SAW) asked his Companions to Stick to the method of Ibn Umm Abd. He was so near to the Prophet (SAW) and so trusted by him that he was given more privileges than anyone else was given. The Prophet (SAW) told him, My permission to you is that you may raise the curtains. This indicates his being allowed to knock at the Prophets door at any time during the day or night. This is why the Companions said, He was admitted to the company of the Prophet (SAW), whereas we were detained, and he was present in his company, whereas we were absent. He was really up to this standard. Although such a close relationship could have created some sort of intimacy, Ibn Masuuds attitude towards the Prophet (SAW) was always one of respect and politeness. This was even after the Prophets death. Although he seldom mentioned the Prophet (SAW) after his death, in most cases when he did mention him, he began to tremble and shake, and all the signs of worry and perplexity appeared on him. This occurred whenever his lips began to murmur, I heard the Prophet (SAW) say ... lest he should forget or change one single letter of what was said. Let us hear what his brothers in Islam said about such behavior. Amr Ibn Maimuun (R A) reported, I was frequently visited by Ibn Masuud (R A) for about a year, during which time I did not hear him speak about the Prophet (SAW). But one day he was talking and he uttered, The Prophet (SAW) said. . .At this moment he was badly troubled and started to sweat and corrected himself, The Prophet (SAW) said something like that. Alqamah Ibn Qais (R A) reported, Ibn Masuud used to speak to people every Thursday night. I never heard him saying, The Prophet (SAW) said, but he once said it and he was leaning on a stick that started to shake in his hand. Also, Masruuq narrated on the authority of AbdAllaah, One day Ibn Masuud was speaking and he said, I heard the Prophet (SAW). . . On this he and his clothes started to shake. Then he corrected himself, Something like this. Thus the veneration of the Prophet (SAW) in his heart was that great, and this was a sign of his intelligence. Such a man, who accompanied the Prophet (SAW) more than anybody else, was the best to realize how great the Prophet (SAW) was. Therefore, he maintained the same manner concerning him during his life and after his death. Ibn Masuud(R A) never missed the company of the Prophet (SAW) either while travelling or at home. He participated in all the battles, and on the Day of Badr his role was significant, especially with Abu Jahl. The Prophets (SAW) caliphs were also fully aware of his proper value. The Commander of the Faithful Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab (R A) appointed him as director of the treasury (Bait Al-Maal) in Kufa and he said to the people there, By Allaah, there is no god but He. You know that I have given you a preference over myself when I sent him to you to learn from him. The people of Kufa liked him as they never liked anyone before him. It was a real miracle that the whole people of Kufa agreed on liking somebody because they were known to be a people of rebellion and mutiny. They hardly agreed on one kind of food, and they did not tolerate peace and tranquillity. Their love for him was so great that when the Caliph Uthmaan (R A) wanted to discharge him of his office, they surrounded him and said, Stay with us and dont go. We will protect you against anything that you dont like. But Ibn Masuud gave them an answer that really reflected his greatness and piety. He said, He has the right of obedience on me. There will be turbulence coming and I hate to be the first to open the door to it. This wonderful situation discloses to us the nature of the relationship between Ibn Masuud (R A) and Uthmaan(R A). They had an argument and a disagreement between them, which ended with the caliph cutting Ibn Masuuds salary from the Bait Al-Maal. In return, Ibn Masuud (R A) never spoke ill of the caliph. On the contrary, he used to defend him. When he heard about the attempted assassinations on Uthmaan(R A) , he said his famous words, If they kill him they will not find anyone like him to succeed. Some of Ibn Masuuds friends said, We never heard him uttering a bad word about Uthmaan. Allaah endowed Ibn Masuud with wisdom along with his piety. He had an insight that enabled him to see facts beyond the surface, and the capability to express such facts in an intelligent style. For example, he summarized the life of Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab(R A) in one concise sentence: Umars Islam was an opening, his Hijrah was a victory, and his rule was a mercy. He once expressed the idea of the relativity of time saying, Your Lord does not have day or night because the light of the earth and the skies is but from the light of His face. In another context he praised the value of work in raising the social standard of man: I hate a man living in leisure with nothing to do, either for his worldly life or the life to come. The next is a comprehensive phrase: The best wealth is the wealth of the soul. The best provision is right conduct. The most major of sins is lying, the most evil earning is usury, and the most evil of what can be eaten is eating up the property of orphans. Whoever excuses others, will be excused by Allaah, and whoever forgives others will be forgiven by others. That was Abd Allaah Ibn Masuud, the Prophets (SAW) Companion, and that is but one glimpse of the heroic life he lived in the way of Allah, His Prophet and His religion. That was the man who had been as small as a bird. He was so thin and short that he was the same height as a sitting person. He had very thin legs. He once climbed a tree to pick some arak sticks for the Prophet (SAW), and when the Companions saw how thin his legs were they laughed. The Prophet (SAW) said, Are you laughing at Ibn Masuuds legs? On Allahs scales of justice they are heavier than the mountain of Uhud. Indeed that was the poor, weak hired boy who became by faith an Imam (leader) guiding people to the light. It was Allaahs bounty on him that he was counted among the first ten Companions of the Prophet (SAW) who were promised to enter Paradise while they were still alive. ^He participated in all the victorious wars with the Prophet (SAW) and his caliphs. He witnessed how the two greatest empires opened their gates in submission to the banners of Islam. He saw the high positions and lucrative money pouring into the hands of the Muslims, but his mind was never obsessed by such matters. Instead, he was pre-occupied with how to fulfil the pledge he offered to the Prophet (SAW), and he was also never tempted to give up the life of humbleness and self-denial that he used to lead. He had only one wish that he dreamed all his life might come true. Let us hear him speaking about it: While I was with the Prophet (SAW) at the Battle of Tabuuk, I woke up at midnight to see a flame of fire near the place of the army. I followed it and found the Prophet (SAW), Abu Bakr and Umar digging a grave to bury Abd Allaah Dhul Bijaadain Al-Muzaniy who died at the time. The Prophet (SAW) was in the grave and asked Abu Bakr(R A) and Umaar(R A) , hand your brother to me, and they did. After he put his body in the grave he said, O Allaah, in this night I am fully satisfied and pleased with him. So be You pleased with him. I wished I was the one being buried in that hole. This was his sole wish in his life. It was not related to what people were racing at in this life, such as wealth, social status or glory. It was the wish of a man who possessed a kind heart, a noble soul, and a strong faith. Such a man was guided by Allah, educated by the Prophet (SAW), and enlightened by Quran. SOURCE:sahabastories.blogspot
Posted on: Wed, 22 Jan 2014 19:35:26 +0000
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